Pastoral Council

Meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council are held on the third Monday of every month at 6:00 p.m., excluding May, June, July, August, and December.

The meetings are open to all members of the parish; any and all are welcome to attend.

The Guidelines of the Diocese of Charlotte, state that “The Parish Pastoral Council is an institution that brings together lay people, religious, and the ordained, who, together with their pastors, work jointly to build the parish as a living Christian community.” The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body, which unites laity and clergy in a community of prayer, leadership, service and pastoral planning.

The Parish Pastoral Council at Our Lady of Mercy is presided over by our Pastor Father Carl. Its appointed members “possess a consultative vote only” and the Council “is governed by norms determined by the diocesan bishop.” Each member serves a term of three years, staggered so that certain new members are appointed each year.

Once each year, usually in January and February, parishioners may nominate people, including themselves, from among the laity for pastoral council consideration. Nominations are presented to the nominating committee comprised of three members of the Council who are appointed by the chairperson, at the March council meeting. The pastor, along with the nominating committee, selects four nominees to serve on the Council for the next three-year period.

The basic leadership role of the Council, in conjunction with the pastor, is to provide direction to the parish. This is accomplished through the pastoral planning process, which forms the basis of a written document entitled, “Parish Profile”, provided to the diocese about every three years.

The Parish Profile has a prescribed form and provides a three to a five-year vision for the parish. It encompasses a parish mission statement, goals and objectives for itself and those parish commissions charged with responsibility for carrying out the plans of the parish envisioned by the Council.

The commissions that have been established at Our Lady of Mercy to assist the Council in developing pastoral plans and policies include Liturgy, Education, Community Life, Family Life, Evangelization / Ecumenism, Administration and Communication. Each commission has its own chairperson, mission statement, goals and objectives, in addition to its general responsibility for implementing the plans of the Council.